EastEnders star Max Bowden has kicked off the year at the centre of the show's biggest ongoing storyline, as the Mitchell family continues to deal with the consequences of Keanu Taylor's supposed murder.
The Mitchells believe that Keanu was killed by Martin Fowler on Christmas Day, although viewers know that he got away thanks to some quick thinking from Martin and Linda Carter.
Digital Spy recently caught up with Max for a big chat about the storyline and much more – including Ben's on-off relationship with Callum, the actor's future in the show and the upcoming 35th anniversary.
Since Christmas, we've seen quite a big reaction to Ben's storylines. How did you feel about him crossing that moral line and arranging for Keanu to be killed?
"The trouble is that, when you're diving into a storyline like this, you have to look at it from so many different angles and take your own moral compass away.
"In every character, you find similarities and differences between yourself and the role. But for this storyline, what I had to do was find what Ben's true objective in life was. That was to be loved by his dad.
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"It was almost stripping himself of those morals and thinking about gaining his main objective, which was to gain that love and admiration from Phil. The only way to do that was to get Keanu killed off."
The fans often debate whether Ben has crossed the line, or whether he can still be redeemed. Do you think the writers can pull him back from this?
"He can come back from it, because as the audience know, Keanu didn't die. However, the thought and the idea from Ben was still there.
"I think Ben is such a troubled soul that the audience do feel sorry for him and they try to understand his actions. I think that's the important thing, trying to understand Ben's psychology. I still try to do it every day!
"Ben is a man who has never felt accepted and will do anything to try to gain that acceptance, but a lot of the time, it involves making the wrong move."
When you first joined EastEnders, you tweeted that Ben wasn't necessarily on the Square to be liked. Do you still feel that way, or do you want the fans to like him?
"I think it's not about the fans not liking him, it's just a reminder that Ben is a fictional character and my job is to serve the script and the story. Ben has certainly allowed himself to feel more, since his relationship with Callum, and since it all came out that Ben was trying to fleece Phil.
"Ben wants to build bridges, so I guess you could say that Ben now wants to be liked."
We've seen how much Ben is struggling with his guilt over Keanu. Do you think he would now change it if he could?
"I think so. Ben, more than anything, wants to find his own acceptance within himself now. He wants to change, it's just whether he's able to."
How would Ben feel if he knew that Keanu was alive – angry or relieved?
"That's a really interesting question. I guess it's a conflict of emotions, isn't it? As we see on screen right now, Ben is not necessarily feeling great about the fact that he's done this. So there would probably be an element of anger, over the fact that it's all come back to life again.
"But there would also be that relief that he isn't a murderer in this instance and it hasn't gone the way he thought."
Ben and Callum fans always have hope for their future. Do you think they're right to?
"I think the fans have hope for it and Ben and Callum themselves do too. I think the fans bought into it because it's a love story about two working class men finding common ground.
"I think Ben and Callum really do love each other, but it's almost that Romeo and Juliet story – can they, can't they?"
Do you look at the Twitter reaction to Ben and Callum's storyline?
"It's one of those things – because the reaction is so beautiful, you do find yourself sometimes looking and going: 'Oh, we're doing something great'. Like I said, it's a relationship between two working class gay men who have found each other in unknown circumstances.
"It's been taken on so well and has affected so many people in the LGBT community. I've seen messages from people saying they now feel able to come out and feel comfortable, so I love reading that.
"It's being able to do more than just do our jobs – it's helping people who needed that in their lives."
It's an exciting time for EastEnders at the moment as the 35th anniversary is being filmed. What's the atmosphere like on set?
"Unbelievable. The excitement, the work ethic and the mood on set is so strong. We're such an ensemble at EastEnders, which is the most important thing to make a show like that work.
"Everybody is reading the scripts and we're working together. Everybody is feeling like they're on board with one another. The atmosphere going forward is so strong."
Are you allowed to say if you're involved in the anniversary?
"I hope so – I'd love to be involved! That'd be nice, wouldn't it? Doing handstands somewhere! (Laughs.) It's great, because everybody is involved in some way.
"That's what's great – [BBC head of continuing drama] Kate Oates and [executive producer] Jon Sen have come in and they've made the stories really interlinking. It means that we've got that opportunity to build everyone together into a great ensemble moment."
You've been in the show for a year now. Can you say if you're keen to stick around for the foreseeable future, and whether you think there's more to explore with Ben?
"Absolutely – I'm loving work day to day. I'm happy to stay for as long as they'll have me. There's so much more to explore with Ben – that's the beauty of him. He's so layered and he's got so many dimensions. He's definitely got more to give."
How does it feel to be nominated for Best Newcomer at the National Television Awards?
"It's great. It's nearly a year to the day that I joined the show, so it's a perfect way to celebrate that. I've loved everything that I've been able to do this year. It's even better that it's voted for by the fans, as they're the ones who keep the show going. I'm very grateful."
Are you looking forward to the big night?
"I've actually never done the NTAs, so I'm really looking forward to it. I'm taking my lovely nan, so it'll be great for her. I'm looking forward to celebrating the year with the cast and the fans."
Votes for the National Television Awards can be cast via the ceremony's official website. EastEnders airs on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays on BBC One.
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